Putin arrives in Finland today

The official visit is likely to focus on economic issues, not political ones.

Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will receive Russian President Vladimir Putin
at the official residence in Naantali today. On the agenda are Finnish-Russian relations, Russia-EU
relations and international issues.

There are several issues that the Finns hope will be discussed. According to Markku
Kangaspuro, deputy director of the University of Helsinki’s Aleksanteri
Institute, a centre of research and study on Russia and Eastern Europe, economic affairs will likely be the focus of the meeting, and politics and
human rights issues are less likely to be discussed. Kangaspuro was interviewed on Yle 1's morning news television broadcast.

Timber deals

One of the topics that Finns hope will be
discussed is timber imports from Russia to Finland. While imports have
decreased in recent years, Russia is a very significant player in the market.

The
Finnish forestry industry says that Russia continues to violate wood import
regulations despite joining the World Trade Organization last August. Disputes continue over trade and supply - Finland would like to import more softwood from Russia.